DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Correlated diversification of a male trait and associated female perception

论文研究：男性特征的相关多样化和相关的女性认知

基本信息

批准号：
1702011
负责人：
Todd Oakley
金额：
$ 2万
依托单位：
University of California-Santa Barbara
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2017
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2017-06-01 至 2019-05-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1702011&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
DISSERTATION RESEARCH Correlated diversification male

项目摘要

A long-standing question in evolution is whether strong mate competition and mate selection influences the evolution of species. This question remains unresolved because species accumulate over deep timescales, and previous studies have revealed ambiguous results. In contrast to studies across species, studies across populations show clear links between mate selection and rapid evolution, and show correlations between male mating signals and the associated female preferences. Missing in the literature is a study that tests these population-level findings in a species-level context, specifically, one that correlates differentiation in male mating signals and female perception. If changes in female perception are met with changes in male signal, the project will support a novel finding: that similar mechanisms are at work across species as across populations. This also suggests that sexual signals may be constrained by female physiology, and that changes in female physiology allow for changes in male signal diversity. Results from this project will be disseminated at international meetings, undergraduates will be actively involved in this research, and outcomes of this project will contribute to the development of novel biomedical reporter enzymes that create different colors of bioluminescence. Bioluminescent, mate-signaling ostracod crustaceans offer a unique system to understand how closely sexual signals associate with their intended receivers. The researchers will first measure bioluminescent emission spectra from males of 26 species of ostracod crustaceans collected from the Caribbean Sea. Next, they will measure female perceptual spectra from 10 species using a visual physiology technique that determines the absorption of specific wavelengths of light through single photoreceptor cells in the eye. The researchers will then determine the amount of overlap of male sexual trait spectra (the color of the bioluminescence) and the female perceptual spectra. If population genetic theory holds, and preference is determined by perception, we expect covariation between male signals and female physiology.

进化中一个长期存在的问题是，强烈的配偶竞争和配偶选择是否会影响物种的进化。这个问题仍然悬而未决，因为物种在很长的时间尺度上积累，而且之前的研究揭示了模糊的结果。与跨物种的研究相反，跨群体的研究显示了配偶选择和快速进化之间的明显联系，并显示了雄性交配信号和相关雌性偏好之间的相关性。文献中缺少一项在物种水平背景下测试这些群体水平发现的研究，特别是一项将雄性交配信号和雌性感知差异相关联的研究。如果女性感知的变化与男性信号的变化相一致，该项目将支持一项新发现：类似的机制在跨物种和跨群体中发挥作用。这也表明性信号可能受到女性生理的限制，而女性生理的变化会导致男性信号多样性的变化。该项目的结果将在国际会议上传播，本科生将积极参与这项研究，该项目的成果将有助于开发能够产生不同颜色生物发光的新型生物医学报告酶。生物发光、发出交配信号的介形类甲壳类动物提供了一个独特的系统来了解性信号与其预期接收者的关联程度。研究人员将首先测量从加勒比海收集的 26 种介形类甲壳类动物的雄性生物发光发射光谱。接下来，他们将使用视觉生理学技术测量 10 个物种的雌性感知光谱，该技术确定眼睛中单个感光细胞对特定波长光的吸收。然后，研究人员将确定男性性特征光谱（生物发光的颜色）和女性感知光谱的重叠量。如果群体遗传理论成立，并且偏好是由感知决定的，我们预计男性信号和女性生理学之间存在协变。